


shards

by iokayia



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It, Happy Ending, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Oblivious Shiro (Voltron), Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Season/Series 08, Post-Season/Series 08 Finale, Shiro (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-19 17:45:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17006241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iokayia/pseuds/iokayia
Summary: Keith realizes he has to do something about the madding silence between him and Shiro before it's too late.Surrounded by darkness, Keith recognizes the emptiness at its full extent for the first time. It’s a piercing pain, shaking his whole body. His fingers clench around the sill when his knees start shaking. He pushes it away like everything else emotionally draining. He knows it’s wrong, it’s the dumbest thing someone could possibly do. Yet, pushing it away is easier than accepting it, even if it hurts in the end.Shiro is everything Keith desires and wants, he wants to hear his laugh every day, to feel the comforting weight of his hand on his shoulder, to call him not Shiro but Takashi. Keith wants it all and more. He wants to call him his, his alone. The radiant glimmer in his eyes, the soft tone of his voice, the expressive faces he makes, everything.





	shards

**Author's Note:**

> S8 left a bitter taste in my mouth and even if this is the 20348094th fix-it fic I still had the urge to write it. I won't accept this mess of an "epilogue" so please have my version.
> 
> We can do this, fandom. We'll survive and we'll flourish if we decide to continue supporting our favorite boys. Stay strong. 
> 
> Beta-read by the amazing [sequencefairy](https://twitter.com/warpspeed_chic).

The sky is cloudy as Keith looks through the window of his guest room. Illuminated by the evening sun it looks strangely peaceful, making the contrast between the cold stone even more obvious. The shadow of Allura’s stature hovers over the table they had dined on and despite the distance, it makes him shiver. It’s carefully crafted, and Keith knows how keen Lance was to make it perfect. It looks painfully alike to the real Allura, yet so different it makes Keith’s heart clench.

Instead of bright blue eyes, cold gray ones stare back at him, stealing all of the dynamic she used to possess. Allura had always been a moving force in their team,  but the regal pose of the statue made it seem like a different Allura. Somehow it reminded Keith of the old Allura from the beginning of their journey.

_It isn’t supposed to look dynamic, Keith.,_ Lance had told him as he asked him during one of his rare visits, a sad smile playing on his lips, _she was a princess and I think combining that with her Paladin suit is for the best._

Keith sighs heavily, his hands resting on the sill. The overwhelming feeling of emptiness returns like an icy grip around his heart, which he thought he had lost back when they said farewell. They had lost a lot, each of them sacrificing so much but in the end, Allura’s death weighs the heaviest.

Well, personally, something else weighs heavy for Keith, and the thought of it alone makes his stomach clench. He hasn’t let the others know, he doesn’t want to appear selfish. Since the fight at the cloning facility, Shiro was... different. Keith doesn’t exactly know the cause; if it’s his new body, the ATLAS or his new position as Admiral and the duties that come with it.

Shiro grew distant over the past few months. He seemed to avoid Keith at all costs, an uneasy tension surrounding him that Keith doesn’t understand. Shiro never used to seem uncomfortable around Keith, and never used to hesitate to touch him.

This isn’t the Shiro he knows and it leaves a gaping hole inside his chest. Keith never realized how much Shiro was a part of him, how much his actions have sharpened him into the man he was today. If somebody had told him Shiro would be such a huge part of his life back when they first met, Keith would have laughed.

A deep sigh rattles through his chest, his head too heavy to support itself and his bangs fall into his eyes as he bows forward. The cold surface of the glass is soothing and calms the dizziness his ranging thoughts cause him. Keith allows himself to rest for a moment, closing his eyes and concentrating on his breathing.

Surrounded by darkness, Keith recognizes the emptiness at its full extent for the first time. It’s a piercing pain, shaking his whole body. His fingers clench around the sill when his knees start shaking. He pushes it away like everything else emotionally draining. He knows it’s wrong, it’s the dumbest thing someone could possibly do. Yet, pushing it away is easier than accepting it, even if it hurts in the end.

Shiro is everything Keith desires and wants, he wants to hear his laugh every day, to feel the comforting weight of his hand on his shoulder, to call him not Shiro but Takashi. Keith wants it all and more. He wants to call him his, his alone. The radiant glimmer in his eyes, the soft tone of his voice, the expressive faces he makes, everything.

The possessiveness drowning his senses is foreign to Keith but not unwanted. It’s clearing as it claws at his insides and suddenly, Keith knows what he has to do. His eyes snap open, meeting their own reflection at the glass, which is steamed up by his breath.

He has to see Shiro. Right now.

* * *

 

With every step he gets more furious, the anger boiling in his chest. Keith doesn’t know what exactly he is angry at; the universe, fate, the Garrison’s work schedules, Shiro or just simply everything. He decides for everything.

The way to Shiro’s room is longer than it usually was when they had stayed somewhere and it only adds fuel to the fire raging in his belly. Not even this was right anymore, nothing was. A growl leaves his lips. If he didn’t feel so angry he would have been more hesitant but he doesn’t bother, not anymore. He doesn’t have time for it.

He doesn’t bother to knock at Shiro’s door, he just storms in, eyes a faint tint of yellow, teeth slightly sharper. His nostrils flutter, sucking in Shiro’s scent. Even it was different and for a second, Keith stills. How much did he miss?

Shiro’s voice interrupts him from the other side of the room, “Keith, what’s going on?”

Keith’s eyes narrow. Shiro sits on a desk, turned around to look at him and the piles of papers form a harsh contrast against the dark wood. He’s not wearing his uniform anymore, and Keith swallows. How long has it been since he's seen Shiro in casual clothes? The black tank top looks good on him and if Keith wasn’t a volcano shortly before erupting right now, he would maybe have stared a bit. Same goes for the gray sweatpants.

Shiro looks tired, his face lined by exhaustion that Keith must have overlooked at the dinner before. Guilt pangs in his chest and mixes with the anger, creating an explosive mixture.

Keith doesn’t answer, instead, he walks towards him, the fury making a grimace out of his face. Shiro’s eyes widen and his mouth slowly opens but before he can say anything, Keith’s already shouting. “What is your fucking problem?!” He doesn’t care for the volume, it’s not important if the others hear him. Right now, after all those years, Keith allows himself to be selfish.

Keith’s hands dart forward, grabbing the edges of the chair. He traps Shiro leaving no way to escape, and inwardly, his anger rejoices. No running away anymore, not this time.

Shiro’s jaw is tense, and his eyebrows are clenched and a small part of Keith wants to ease the space between them. “Keith, wha-” he tries again but Keith doesn’t let him.

“When did I became a stranger to you?!” He growls in anger. Of course, this is not the best way to solve such situations but there is nothing left inside of him but anger and confusion. Keith is hurt, the scars on his soul are still fresh and refuse to heal.

Their eyes are locked, Keith’s burning and Shiro’s confused. The silence around them is devastating and in a second, Keith’s anger is gone, replaced by unbelievable sorrow. He blinks several times before he breaks the eye contact with Shiro. Instead, he looks at the floor between their feet, trying to gather his thoughts together.

They are so close, closer than they have been for over a year and it overwhelms him. Shiro’s breath brushes over his hair and Keith’s hits Shiro’s collarbone. They remain in this position for a while, Keith’s hands shuttering against the wood, Shiro’s flat against his tights.

Keith needs some time before he gathers enough strength to look into Shiro’s eyes again. As he looks up again, a sad smile plays on his lips. “It feels like ages since you last looked at me.”

The sharp intake of breath above him forces Keith to swallow in pain. Yet, he keeps their eye contact, against the universe, as always.

The next words feel heavy as they leave his lips, enforcing the silence around them. “You never see me, Shiro. It feels like you’re looking right through me since we fought.”

Shiro’s eyes represent the chaos in their hearts - confused, yet eager to fix and soft. Air brushes against his teeth as Keith sharply sucks it in. He’s unable to support his own weight anymore, his arms start to quiver. He recognizes how sweaty they are as he tries to lose them against the wood but he can’t. He closes his eyes in embarrassment.

Instead, something unbelievable happens. A warm and a cold weight lands on his forearms, gentle and reassuring. Keith doesn’t look up, he can’t, this is too much, too much contact after one year. A stuttering breath leaves his lungs.

Shiro’s hands wander further up, over his biceps towards his shoulders and when they reach them, Keith is a shivering mess. They fold neatly across his back before he is pulled forwards.

He is limp in Shiro’s arms, he always will be, so he isn’t able to resist when Shiro hugs him, something he has yearned for since Shiro had returned. How could he resist anyway? He’s everything Keith ever wanted and more.

“I’m here, Keith.” Shiro’s voice is like a soft blanket and Keith allows himself to drown in it. It’s something he desperately needed but wasn’t aware of. “How could you possibly think I wouldn’t see you?”

Keith is tempted to snap after he processes the meaning of those words but Shiro won’t give him a chance. Instead, he continues, his voice as heavy as Keith’s limbs; “I always did. Even now, I do,” he stops, clearing his throat and something wet meets Keith’s hair. Keith swallows slowly.

“I’m so sorry I failed you, Keith. You don’t deserve disappointment.”

More tears fall down on Keith’s hair. He tugs Shiro closer. It’s incredibly uncomfortable but Keith doesn’t care, not when Shiro is so soft, so open, so vulnerable just for him. Keith licks his dry lips as his heart stutters in his chest. The words on the tip of his tongue are words he already said once, seemingly a lifetime ago. He represses them, instead, and he decides on another truth; “You don’t deserve disappointment either, Shiro.”

He can hear Shiro gulping, he can hear him mustering up words to disagree with him. Keith wants to interrupt him but he decides not to, he has done that enough today.

Shiro always manages to surprise him, and he does so this time as well. His words aren’t those of complaint, they are the opposite; “I remember our fight. I remember what you said.”

Keith is convinced he’s dying, right here in Shiro’s arms. Of course, Shiro remembers making the situation even worse. Keith remembers it like a movie, it’s burned in his mind. He remembers every sound, every smell, the ragged breath in his chest, the frantic need to make sure Shiro returned to him, safe and sound, so Keith can take care of him.

Of course, this is not what Shiro is talking about. He means those words. Those six little words. Keith wishes three of them had never existed in the first place.

_You’re my brother! I love you!_

He wants to whimper and dig himself a hole. Instead, he is confronted with Shiro’s very naked and very attractive shoulder. He still can’t fully believe he said it, at the most unfitting moment in the whole universe.

“I love you, too.”

Keith knows he’s dying. His heart skips several beats, then it starts to beat forcefully against his ribcage, making his whole body shake. His breath hits Shiro’s naked skin, causing goosebumps to spread over his skin. Something heavy and dark in Keith fades away at those words and as he looks up, his vision is blurred from tears.

Their first kiss is not like Keith imagined it. He always considered Shiro to be a soft kisser but he couldn’t have been further from the truth. As their lips meet in the middle, Shiro tugs him forcefully against his chest. Keith is pliant in his arms, letting him do what he wants, his tears mixing with Shiro’s against his cheek. Shiro is ravishing him, he is passionate and fast. Keith’s fingers curl around his biceps, trying to keep himself steady.

“Stay with me, Shiro,” he manages to groan as one of Shiro’s hands tangles in his hair. He tugs gently and Keith moans wantonly.

The rasping voice against his ear is everything Keith needs to hear, now and forever.

“Always, Keith.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed my version, if you did please let me know! 
> 
> You can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/iokayia) where I'm trying to be positive. 
> 
> The next and final installment will be about Allurance so stay tuned!


End file.
